1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to electronic messaging systems in a communication network. More particularly, the invention relates to systems, apparatus and methods of operation for automatic address updating of outgoing and incoming user messages in a communication network.
2. Description of Prior Art
In communication networks providing electronic messaging, it is quite common for changes to occur in the identifiers of people, businesses, or groups as collected in lists, address books, rolodexes of user""s, and personal information manager""s databases. Typically, changes are handled as a manual process when a communication, e.g., fax, voice, e-mail, multimedia is rejected. In such instances, the user must personally and manually go into the various data sets and make appropriate changes. The manual change process is time-consuming, annoying, and seemingly, never ending as most of the changes tend to be out of control of an individual. For example, local telephone companies have been creating new Numbering Plan Areas (NPA) or area codes on a large scale. Similarly, Uniform Resource Locators (URL""s) in the Internet are often very volatile. In addition, when a user wishes to add a new person to a data set, for example, after receiving a communication from the person, the user must manually transcribe the telephone number or information from a communication xe2x80x9cheaderxe2x80x9d to a database(s). To relieve a user of the burden of manually entering address changes into his or her directories for outgoing and incoming messages, a system, apparatus and method are needed to automatically update such address information and still be compatible with all types of communication networks including telephone systems, the Internet, intranet, CATV, and the like.
Prior art related to updating electronic messaging service in communication networks include the following:
U.S. Pat. No. 5,644,625 entitled xe2x80x9cAutomatic Routing and Rerouting of Messages to Telephones and Fax Machines Including Receipt of Intercept Voice Messagesxe2x80x9d to E. L. Solot; issued Jul. 1, 1997 (Solot) discloses an apparatus and method to capture, analyze and store information contained in voice intercept messages and, particularly, those messages containing information regarding changes of telephone numbers and/or Area Codes. Solot provides means to update the telephone number database and complete a call where a new number has been provided in a voice intercept message.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,812,795 entitled xe2x80x9cAutomatic Addressing of Messages and Message Components of Different Mediaxe2x80x9d to D. A. Horovitz et al., issued Sep. 22, 1998 (Horovitz) discloses a message sender that has or has access to an electronic directory that lists, for at least some recipients, a plurality of different addresses and indicates for each address the message medium or media that can be received at that address. The message sender automatically affects the proper addressing of the message or message component for different media thereby sparing the message sender the effort and pitfalls of having to do so manually.
IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin (TDB) entitled xe2x80x9cMechanism to Automate Updating Obsolete Telephone Numbers,xe2x80x9d published Volume 37, No. 04A, April 1994, pages 115-116, discloses a telephone software control mechanism that automates detection and updating of a changed telephone number. The mechanism upon activation (1) detects a telephone number from a recorded message, (2) re-dials the telephone using the new number, (3) updates the appropriate telephone repository, e.g., address book, nickname (with the new number), allows the user to perform these tasks using a conventional telephone and (5) allows the old number temporarily to be saved with the new number.
None of the prior art discloses apparatus and methods for monitoring a user""s outgoing and incoming messages to determine if the sender or recipient address is correct, and, if not, automatically locating the correct address by accessing internal directories and/or on-line directories independent of the media in which the message was sent, and updating the user""s address information with the correct address of a sender or recipient.
The system, apparatus and method are achieved in a communication network, e.g., telephone, CATV, Internet, intranet for voice/data/multimedia/fax, and the like, serving a plurality of users through any type of terminal equipment, i.e. telephone, PC, cellular device, etc. The network includes a message server coupled to a message store for incoming/outgoing messages and a database of message preference profiles of users. The message server is coupled to a programmable address change server linked to the network. The programmable change server includes user search rules and change options for accessing internal and external databases to locate correct address information for outgoing and incoming user messages containing erroneous or new address information. The external databases are of various types including, for example, a user address book; other user directories and public directories. The user address book includes a series of contacts for each user. Each contact is identified in a data set by an identification number (ID), name and address. For outbound messages, the message server scans the message header for xe2x80x9cSend Toxe2x80x9d address. If the contact is already in the data set, a xe2x80x9cyesxe2x80x9d condition sends the message to the usual recipient address. For a xe2x80x9cnoxe2x80x9d condition and based on user search options stored in the change server, the message server interrogates user internal databases at the terminal and external system directories, public directories, to obtain information to populate the contact information for the recipient in the user address book. If new address information is obtained from the searching, the message server generates a notification message which is sent to the user regarding the new address information and inquiring whether the new address information should be added to the user address book database. If the user indicates the new address information is necessary, the user address book is updated and the message sent with the updated address information. For inbound messages, the message server scans each mail item for messages returned for incorrect address. A xe2x80x9cyesxe2x80x9d condition tests for typographical errors; checks the subscriber user data set to extract other message identifiers (e.g., names, address phone books, etc.) and applies user-definable search rules on other databases and directories to find the correct or alternative address information. A test is determined if the correct or alternative address information is found. A xe2x80x9cyesxe2x80x9d condition resends and updates the user""s address book. A xe2x80x9cnoxe2x80x9d condition checks to determine if the sender is in the user""s data set. A xe2x80x9cnoxe2x80x9d condition initiates user""s options, either a flag message to the user indicates xe2x80x9cNot in databasexe2x80x9d or a new entry is automatically created. A xe2x80x9cyesxe2x80x9d condition processes the message in the xe2x80x9cIn Boxxe2x80x9d as usual.